Press Kit/Media Resources

TAKE NOTE— 2020 is an election year in the United States. And on August 26, 2020, the US population will be focused on the national observance of US women voting for the past 100 years.

“There are millions of descendants of the first wave of the women’s rights movement, like me, in the United States. We’re busy planning how to celebrate in 2020,” says Marguerite Kearns, the granddaughter of Edna Kearns (1882-1934), a New York State women’s rights activist. Edna Kearns is best known for her “Spirit of 1776” suffrage campaign wagon, now in the collection of the New York State Museum in Albany, NY, where the iconic vehicle will be exhibited in 2020.

THE UPCOMING EVENTS DURING A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR

Statues will be unveiled during 2020 across the nation. Cultural events and celebrations will mark the centennial, as well as special exhibits, historic street markers, fairs, forums, parades, programs, conventions, theatre, musical performances, publications, and much more. Seneca Falls, NY and the surrounding upstate Finger Lakes region, is considered the cradle of the US women’s rights movement. Seneca Falls, NY will be a popular cultural heritage tourism destination.

“Many people refer to the early stage of women’s activism, from 1848 to 1920, as the suffrage movement,” Kearns continued. “It is also known as the first wave, upon which later waves of women’s rights activism have been built.” The years from the 1960s through the 1980s are considered the second wave, with the 1990s to the present day referred to as the third and fourth waves.

“Whether or not we’re in the fourth wave of women’s rights activism or beyond is a matter of opinion,” Kearns added. “What’s important is that the first wave is just as significant as later manifestations. The observances during 2020 will be an opportunity to examine women’s rights activism from many different angles.”

SOME CALL VOTING RIGHTS ACTIVISM FROM 1848 TO 1920 THE FIRST WAVE

August 26th in 2020 commemorates the centennial of the ratification and passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1920. The amendment guaranteed US women the right to vote in local, state, and national elections. August 26th is also called Women’s Equality Day, an observance set aside by the US Congress in 1971. The National Women’s History Project has announced a campaign to make August 26th a national holiday.

The Stanton/Anthony statue in NYC’s Central Park will be unveiled on August 26, 2020. The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial is scheduled to open in Lorton, Virginia. An announcement about a national women’s trail consisting of plaques, historic buildings, street markers, and more will be a headliner in the news.

“The first wave centennial celebration for 2020 is part of a US women’s rights timeline from 1848 to the present day,” Kearns adds. She points out that numerous organizations in the US and around the world are planning early for 2020. During 2018 the UK observed its first century of women voting. New Zealand’s women have been voting for 125 years. ++

Member:

Contact Marguerite Kearns at 505-300-1002, or email, LetsRockTheCradle at outlook.com

LetsRockTheCradle.com is a public service provided to the news media, policy makers, citizens, and all those interested in the national suffrage centennial in 2020 that will celebrate the first wave of the women’s rights movement in the United States. LetsRockTheCradle.com started as a blogging tour of the Finger Lakes region of New York State in 2013 by Marguerite Kearns and Olivia Twine in order to bring to the attention of the public the long and difficult struggle for women to win voting rights and the urgent need for public education about this time in US history.

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3 thoughts on “Press Kit/Media Resources”

For most of us, 2020 cannot come soon enough. We deserve candidates (and especially a president) that is interested in the concerns of women and marginalized groups. For me, as I grow to become more aware of these important issues, I realize that at the core, voting is absolutely essential and we must push to make voting accessible for everyone.

I agree with Julie. The difference between representative democracy and dictatorship depends now more than ever on voting rights for all. Bring back the Voting Rights Act that corrupt politicians trashed a few years ago.